2010 Season

American BuffaloBy David MametDirected by Minden HultstromA junk shop. Three small-time crooks plot to carry out the midnight robbery of a coin collection. In the hours leading up to the heist, friendship becomes the victim in a conflict between loyalty and business.Starring Tony Barrett, Brian Matuszak, and Tate Haglund-Pagel.Set Design and Construction by Anders Hultstrom. Board Operated by Ben Borchet.

Congratulations to American Buffalo on their 2010 Oeuvre Performing Arts Awards Nominations!

In a world of expensive sets and costumes, comfortable seating, and million dollar venues, the thing that stands out about Rubber Chicken Theater, in comparison to the Playhouse, Play Ground, and Teatro Zuccone is the almost guerilla theatre feel of its latest production. On a fundamental level, that, in itself, is most satisfying. Straight away, one is suddenly hit with the gritty feel of David Mamet’s American Buffalo that says, “Hey, this could be performed on the sidewalk outside without any set and it would still be good.”Mamet’s hard. In more ways than one. The dialogue is street-smart and coarse. But, a cursory once-over of the script for American Buffalo indicates next to nothing as far as stage direction, character description, or any of the other particulars that help directors and actors get an atmospheric reading of that the playwright had in mind. To her credit, director Minden Anderson has taken a mercurial and hard-nosed writer’s profane script infused with the schemings of the underbelly of society and put it on stage in a brave choice for a theatre company known for its over-the-top and comedic fare.American Buffalo, a play that set Mamet apart from the herd back when it premiered in 1977 on the stage, is a story about three crooks and their scheming plot to steal a valuable coin collection. Donny Dubrow, played by Tony Barrett, is the owner of a junk shop where we learn he feels taken by a man who bought a rare coin for less than its supposed value. He plots first with the “boy,” Bobby (Tate Haglund-Pagel) and then his old friend Teach (Brian Matuszak) to take revenge.Barrett and Haglund-Pagel take the stage at the top of the show set in the junk shop engaging right away in the type of quick, muscular character conversations for which Mamet is best known. In Mamet’s world, the men are stolid, brusque, and profane. Barrett’s performance is measured and restrained, revealing, early on, almost a fatherly care for his young go-fer Bobby, admonishing Bobby about the importance of breakfast. Barrett plays the role with a believable subtlety on stage. Among the three actors on stage, Barrett’s Donny remains the most level until, in some of the play’s closing scenes, the character reveals some intensity that reminds the audience that there are no good guys in this story. These dramatic departures are well thought out by the actor and director, keeping true to the premise that action is best when the tension is maintained and released over the course of the time on stage.The only weak spot in the character choices on stage is with Haglund-Pagel. And even that weakness is not deadly to the overall performance. The character of Bobby is supposed to be a disheveled, sort of strung-out ne’er-do-well barely out of his teens. Haglund-Pagel’s Bobby, however, is well-groomed, boyish, and absent-minded–a simpleton in a plaid shirt, brown pants and squeaky clean red and white Chucks. When the dialogue of the play between Donny and Teach’ makes pointed references to Bobby’s drug addiction and disloyalty, it is almost too impossible to believe such a clean cut, earnest kid could have such a checkered life or deceptive ulterior motives. Other than that choice in character, Haglund-Pagel is just as comfortable on stage and just as compelling as the rest of the troika, eliciting some laughter from the audience at his obvious inability to “get it” when talking to Donny and Teach’.Brian Matuszak’s portrayal of Walter “Teach’” Cole is, without overstatement, the most fascinating element in the production. Here, Matuszak shows off a gifted versatility as an actor. At turns, Matuszak reveals the frenetic layers that make up his character: suspicious, greedy, paranoid, and vulgar. He leaps out verbally on stage, tossing out the “fucks” and the “cunts” with, quite honestly, a refreshing ease that makes one wince on the one hand and pump one’s fist and say “fuck yeah!” on the other. Matuszak strikes just the right balance of nervous bombastic annoyance with the world that his character requires without becoming a caricature of every angry white guy con artist you’ve ever seen in a bad movie. It is this ability that makes every moment of Matuszak’s boundless energy and intense focus on stage in character tense with expectation. Matuszak’s ability as a sketch comic actor and physical funny man serves him well here in this dramatic role–the ticks and facial expressions and constant nervous fidgeting adding a dimension to the character that is the polish required for believability.The set design by Anders Holtstrom is adequate for the show. The space where the show is performed, however, made the set somewhat ambiguous. The Venue is not a natural theatre space, unfortunately, so the dividing line between what is “set” and what is just part of the open space seems undefined until you see the actors move about. The props are interesting and well-placed in the junk shop construction. There is no sophisticated lighting design in this show, but then again, the show doesn’t need it. What’s significant about the performances of the actors is that, even void of set and props, it would still be a solid show performed anywhere.And that’s the interesting observation here. This production has not been well-attended so far in its run. Aside from the fact that the location is not a natural gathering point for theatre in Duluth because of the downtown district that has been and is evolving for entertainment, there is absolutely no fathomable reason why the seats should not be sold out for American Buffalo. Mamet’s works are earthy and this particular story, thirty years on, does not show any aging weakness. It is precisely this type of underdog theatre experience that defines why smaller venues are becoming more relevant to a broader, more savvy and discriminating demographic. This show takes risks. And even though the production values are not sexy or slick and the location is not glitzy or sophisticated, Rubber Chicken’s production of American Buffalo is a significant player in what’s going on now in local theatre and why the so-called “second tier” productions should be bubbling up to the surface. Bottom line: see this show.